Catching Fire

Catching Fire Glossary

arena

the large, man-made outdoor space that serves as the site of the Hunger Games. The Gamemakers build a new one every year. The arena is filled with challenges that the tributes have to overcome in order to survive.

azure

a deep, brilliant shade of blue

besotted

infatuated or drunk

capricious

impulsive; unpredictable

Careers

Also known as Career Tributes. Young men and women who have been training their whole lives to prepare for the Hunger Games. They typically come from the wealthier districts (1, 2, or 4).

clandestine

secret

cornucopia

A symbol of plenty consisting of a goat's horn overflowing with sustenance. In the Hunger Games, it marks the tributes' entry into the arena and is filled with weapons and sustenance to help them survive.

curt

rudely brief or abrupt

district

Panem is divided into 12 (formerly 13) districts, each defined by a special industry. They are forbidden from communicating with one another and all fall under the control of the Capitol.

duplicitous

deceitful; treacherous

erratic

strange; unpredictable

evade

avoid or escape

exorbitant

excessive

futile

pointless, useless

garrote

strangulation or a weapon, like a length of wire, used to strangle

hassock

a cushion for kneeling

histrionic

melodramatic; excessively emotional or dramatic

impotent

powerless

jabberjay

A bird that repeats everything it hears, once utilized by the Capitol to spy on its citizens.

mockingjay

The unintended result of cross-breeding between the Capitol-invented Jabberjays and ordinary mockingbirds. The mockingjay is the symbol of the rebellion and the name of the 3rd book in the Hunger Games trilogy.

mollify

soothe; appease

morphling

a powerful painkiller from the Capitol

onerous

involving a burdensome amount of effort and difficulty

precarious

depending on the will or pleasure of another

provocation

the act of provoking or inciting; something that causes anger

quarry

one that is sought or pursued

reaping

an annual event where two tributes (one girl, one boy) are randomly chosen from each district to compete in that year's Hunger Games.

reproach

blame or rebuke

ribald

obscene; indecent; bawdy

spile

a spigot used to draw sap from a tree

sponsor gift

a gift that sponsors (viewers of the Hunger Games) can send to their chosen tributes during the Hunger Games. These gifts are extremely expensive and often contain some kind of vital tool to help the tribute survive - like food, water, or medicine.

Tesserae

tokens used in Panem to exchange entries in the Hunger Games lottery for food.

tincture

a solution of a medicinal substance in an alcoholic solvent

transgression

sin

tributes

The participants in the Hunger Games who are selected at random from Panem's 12 districts (except during the Quarter Quells).

Victors' Village

The small, wealthy neighborhoods that exist in each district to house Hunger Games victors.

Bonnie nods. “We took what we could, but food's been so scarce. That's been gone for a while.” The quaver in her voice melts my remaining defenses. She is just a malnourished, injured girl fleeing the Capitol.